Beyond the English Box: Constructing and Communicating Knowledge Through Translingual Practices in the Higher Education Classroom

As part of the growing trend of internationalization in higher education, new forms of linguistic practices are recently emerging in diverse contexts. However, such practices are often obscured by English medium instruction (EMI) policies, neglecting the role of other languages, semiotic resources, and modalities in the construction and communication of knowledge. Building on an expanded framework of language policy, in this study I take a “trans-” approach to reconceptualize the “E” in EMI. Specifically, the participants of this study include 18 university lecturers from a range of disciplinary backgrounds. Data was collected over a 6-month period through classroom observations and semistructured interviews. The findings show that translingual practices were not uncommon for a range of epistemological, pedagogical, and social purposes, but at the same time significantly constrained by monolingual ideologies that permeate the policy process. To open up translanguaging spaces in the higher education classroom, the study suggests to move current EMI policies from an English-only focus toward multilingual and translingual awareness. Instead of determining the language of instruction a priori, it is more important to focus on ways to become more linguistically aware and ecologically oriented, acknowledging the process of meaning-making as situated, holistic, and embodied.摘要因應全球化的趨勢 , 英語授課在高等教育國際化的過程中扮演著核心的角色 。然而 ,主張「全英語」的論述往往忽略了其他語言 、符號 、和媒介在建構與傳遞知識上的重要性 。透過語言政策的分析 , 此研究嘗試以跨語實踐的理論探討英語授課一詞中的「英語」如何重新定義 。此研究的參與者包含十八位不同學科領域的大學教師 , 研究方法涵蓋課室觀察與教師訪談 , 資料收集過程為期六個月 。研究結果顯示 , 跨語實踐並不罕見 , 且在知識的建構上 、教學上 、和師生的互動上有著不同的意義 。即便如此 , 過度強調英語的政策往往是單語主義思想背後的無形推手 , 使得跨語實踐的發展空間受到極大限制 。此研究提倡以「多語」和「跨語」的理念取代「全英語」的論述 。與其由上而下規範課室語言 , 不如回歸知識建構的本身 , 針對不同學科領域的需求與屬性進行教學 。